Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) is busy patting itself on the back for solving all of Attawapiskat's problems. To hear them tell it, Jacques Marion was a veritable hero, swooping into Attawapiskat in the nick of time, narrowly averting disaster.
AANDC is magnanimously withdrawing its third-party manager, but shouldn't hold its breath for any thanks from Attawapiskat. That ungrateful community is continuing its lawsuit against the federal government for putting Marion there in the first place!
Okay, so Marion was on vacation in Hawaii recently, and was thus unable to release funds to off-reserve students from Attawapiskat for frivolities like food and shelter. Was this hard-working man not entitled to a little R&R? Students should be used to a diet of ramen noodles and homelessness. It builds character!
The ever hyperbolic Charlie Angus blasted Marion for his $200,000 per month salary as though this has anything to do with off-reserve students being unable to afford bus fare. Why doesn't he direct his vociferous ire at Chief Theresa Spence, who with a bloated salary of $5,798 a month could have gone without payment for her work and instead financed 1,932 one-way bus fares while Marion was soaking up his well-earned rays?
You may have heard that 22 mobile units have arrived in Attawapiskat. Who is responsible for that? Charlie "Weeps-for-the-Indians" Angus, or Spence with her Chief-who-cried-wolf declarations of States of Emergency? HECK no! It was Marion who metaphorically carried those units into the community! Pay no mind to the charity that raised money to furnish those units. Furnishings are unnecessary luxuries.
So a few families spent the deepest part of winter in makeshift shelters. Surely they understand that it was much more important to ask where the $90 million went first?
Chief Spence tried to have Marion removed, actually comparing the imposition of a third-party manager to residential schools, insinuating that Canada does not have an unblemished track record when it comes to exercising complete authority over native peoples. I'm sorry, but removing an elected Chief and Council from power on the basis of unproven accusations of malfeasance is not at all oppressive.
Chief Spence, you are going to have to explain to me how any of the following constitute an "urgent crisis" that created a "financial burden" on Attawapiskat that can possibly raise doubts about the publicly accepted truths of mismanagement and corruption?
It's not as though Attawapiskat has had to deal with situations all that different than those faced by any small town, so please, a little less exaggeration would be appreciated.
It is also a little tacky to be celebrating Marion's removal. This man has just lost his job. Where is the compassion for your fellow man?
Please end this court battle which: "seek[s] a declaration that the decision to impose the third-party manager was unlawful, and seek[s] to refute the suggestion by the Prime Minister of Canada that 'management problems' caused the housing crisis suffered by the First Nation."
Is clearing your name, and the name of the community in this matter really all that important in the grand scheme of things? Instead of playing the blame game, why not wish Marion well and move on with your lives? You don't see Prime Minister Harper smack talking you in the media. Anymore.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated Jacques Marion's salary was $200,000/month. It is in fact $20,000.
This article was also published on the author's blog, âpihtawikosisân.
Perhaps a better title would be "Chelsea goes off the deep end". Well obviously the rational and didactic approach wasn't cutting it. Somewhere under the sarcasm is a nagging hint that Stevie might actually care - not! But take heart, even cranky old white guys like me can be pissed at this ongoing fiasco. Stevie got votes from 24% of voters so he says: "I think I speak for all Canadians when I say..." - hey, leave me out of it, Stevo. BTW, now that you've had plentyof time to look at the books, tell us all what happened to the 90 million you said you'd just spent on housing. We tax payers forked out a lot of money to ferret out this much needed answer so let's hear it.
Also - those trailers? Didn't get there until the end of January (after almost ALL of the cold whether was gone) AND if you talk to anyone who has lived north of Cochrane for any length of time, they will be useless by next year. Not because of those living in them but because of the climate.
btw, just love it when someone in the south plays the 'oh look I'm Metis/First Nations/Inuit so I am expert on anything Aboriginal' card. Though your byline says that you are from Lac Ste. Anne, an hour outside of Edmonton. Not discounting the opinions of those with personal knowledge of the subject, but one has to admit that there will be differences between your experience as a Metis of Alberta and those of Metis elsewhere as well as Cree elsewhere.